


To Fight Monsters, We Created Monsters

by The_Marron



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Pacific Rim AU, dark themes, it got kinda dark, no magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23213764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Marron/pseuds/The_Marron
Summary: They are losing. With every day, every hour they are closer to the apocalypse so Major Albus Dumbledore, the last leader of Jaeger Project does the impossible. He asks a war criminal for help.Fantastic Beasts x Pacific Rim crossover I promised a long long time ago in a galaxy far away
Relationships: Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	To Fight Monsters, We Created Monsters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ascel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ascel/gifts).



> Yeah, so this is the Pacific Rim!Au I was supposed to write a year ago. It is now a Name's Day present to Ascel (and still late, but shhh) - happy late name's day, dear! I'm sorry it's not crack but I hope you will like it either way.
> 
> I hope you do too, my dear readers

“We need Grindelwald.” Albus Dumbledore, the Marshall of the last base ready to fight the Kaiju had never anticipated having to say this out loud. In the privacy of his quarters, looking at their shared photos, reminiscing about that two months when the Drift connected him so fully to a person that understood him so deeply, there he might have uttered such words. ‘I need Grindelwald’ was not an uncommon thought in Albus’s life. ‘I miss Gellert’ was even more frequent, because making all of these impossible decision alone, without anyone to consult them with was exhausting. It was destroying his soul, day by day.

They were the last. The last ragtag group of fighters, transported here, to Hong Kong, locked in the Shatterdome, watching as the world lost its hope in The Wall of Life. There used to be more of them.

After his cadet training when he was sent to Canada, the first British Mark I, the best prototype Great Britain had to offer – _Deathly Hallows_ , was granted to him and the other young cadet – bright, wild and brilliant Gellert Grindelwald. Albus still remembered the fear of not being able to Drift with anyone. It had worked in America, Japan, Australia, every Pacific country ready to start their own Jaeger program. And yet here he was, young Albus Dumbledore, the most promising cadet England has produced, unable to connect with anybody. And then the major Nigelus remarked that there was another one, just like him: “Too proud and full of himself to let anyone connect with him.” He was from Austria, originally, but found himself in the Russian base. He was amongst the first ones who tested the technology there and although he was rumored to be an amazing pilot, his cooperation with others was to quote his handlers ‘detestable’. Albus had not wanted to meet this person. He was young then, sure that he would be able to withstand the radiation with will power alone. He didn’t need a partner. Then, he couldn’t live without him.

Back from his thoughts, Albus looked down at his pilots, all shocked into silence. They were a younger generation. 

They had better Jaegers, better psychological help. They might live after this war ended. If it ever ended. There was so few of them… Propentina and Queenie Goldstein, two sisters from America with their _Witch’s Friend,_ young Credence Barebone and Nagini, representatives of Japan piloting _Obscurial Maledictus_ , and Theseus Scamander and his fiancée, Leta Lestrange, both British, yet send from Canada to become pilots of the newest Jaeger in the Shatterdome – _Corvus V_. These three crews were all that was left.

They have lost the Korean _Joseon Triumph_ and Chinese _Wuxia_ _Jianghu_ and everyone from their crews yesterday’s raid. There was never a double event before, and even though young Newt Scamander warned them of this possibility, Flamel claimed it was impossible – the portal would not hold two beasts, he said. Apparently, the beasts were smarter than they gave them credit for, because the parameters of the portal changed rapidly throughout the day. When the two Kaiju attacked, they were in the middle of the action and in the end, they were unable to protect everyone. _Joseon_ managed to take down Diver by self-destructing while the beast was in their grasp. Their sacrifice saved the people on the coast. _Wuxia_ and _Witch’s Friend_ engaged Shiryuu and the _Witch’s Friend_ returned non-functional, but with its crew battered up yet alive. Wu didn’t have such luck. Even though Albus managed to send the helicopters in time to get the pilots out of the water, Wei Wuxian was severely injured and his partner’s, Lan Wangji’s, state was so critical that he never regained consciousness. With heavy heart Albus and the rest of the base watched as the two passed away almost at the same time.

Now, down to three Jaegers, with only two functional, Albus was getting desperate. The governments one after the other decided that protecting themselves instead of the people should now be the priority and they have withdrawn any financial support towards the Jaeger program a long time ago. They weren’t getting new pilots. They would not get new Jaegers. All they could do was look into the past and use resources long abandoned.

Propentina raised her hand, always so polite.

“Marshall, I apologize, but did you really say Grindelwald? You can’t mean the war criminal, Gellert Grindelwald?”

“Dear Ms Goldstein, I would really like to tell you that you’ve misheard me, but unfortunately, I can. Gellert Grindelwald is now our only chance to survive this war.”

Stunned looks passed between the pilots, Albus could also hear the whispers of the technical crew. Few of them truly remembered Gellert as he was. A brilliant, daring pilot. A strategist. A lover. No, they heard about him after his fall – manipulative, bloodthirsty, murderous, a liar. He was all of these things as well, Albus could see it now, but he needed this analytical mind on his side.

“Will the authorities let him go?”Cadence asked, his voice trembling a bit. From what Albus read in his file, the boy had enough of bad experiences with people who should have protected him and have done anything but.

“I don’t think so, and frankly, I do not care about authorities right now. They can martial court me later, as long as I can guarantee that any later will come. According to young Scamander and to Professor Flamel, not only the portal changed, its capacity is growing. Soon, double events will be the norm. After that – triple and maybe more. We will be overrun with Kaiju. We hardly have the force to stop them now. If there is ever a good moment to be radical, it is now.” They looked at him in doubt, but no one protested. They trusted him, because he was Albus Dumbledore. He was the marshall who held out the longest. His record of kills was still unrivaled. He was their hero and he was well-aware of it. It has been like that for a long time. People listened to him because they believed he held all the answers. The sole reason they were still here was because they believed that he would lead them to victory. And that is precisely what Albus was going to do. Even if using unorthodox methods.

“Besides, when I’m in jail maybe finally I’ll be able to finish my book. I do plan on becoming a well-known professor of Physics, you know.” He joked and the pilots cheered up a bit. Good. Let them be cheerful for as long as they can.

“Rest for now. Thankfully the enemy also has to resupply, we have made a dent in their forces today. So remember _Joseon Triumph_ and _Wuxia Jianghu_ , remember their pilots and their bravery. Don’t lose hope.”

*

Albus aimed to go back to his quarters but a loud noise down the hall got his attention. He decided to check on the scientists before he did anything worth regretting.

The Scientist’s lab looked exactly as it did since the day one – Professor Flamel was confined to his small space with his blackboard, chalk and his ancient books, with his desk filled with modern equipment and holograms, whereas Newt – the young progeny in Biology filled the rest of the lab with different parts of Kaiju and some other species related to them, as young Scamander proclaimed. Albus wasn’t sure to what degree Newt was right, but he trusted both of his scientists.

“Albus! I heard from Tina you said something really interesting during the briefing?” Nicolas asked, leaving his mathematics for a moment.

“That depends on what you mean by ’interesting’, Nicolas.”

The older man just shook his head.

“Grindelwald, here? It’s the end of times, Albus. Are you sure?” Before Albus could reply there was a loud crash in the back and then Newt Scamander, his shirt as always covered in something that most probably was inside the beast seconds ago, rushed to stand before him.

“Please, Sir, you can’t! He will wipe them out! He is a madman, you said so himself! Look, I know they are dangerous and I know right now it seems like they are mindless beasts bent on destruction but I’m sure, if we have more time, we can free them. I have good reasons to believe that these poor creatures are mind-controlled. They are created in labs, they are programmed to fight us, but they have the ability to think, to strategize, they _live._ And if we have just a bit more time, I can figure out how to save them, Marshall.”

“Mr. Scamander, I believe you. I just do not believe we have any more time.”

Newt lowered his head. “But…” Here, Nicolas sighed loudly.

“Look Newt, I do see your point. If it was the beginning of the conflict, if these were first years when there was a lot of money and a lot of fighters to buy you that time, I would stand with you and I would protest with all my might against bringing Grindelwald here. But right now, I’m not so sure. I don’t have the right answer, none of us has. What you propose is a huge risk. One that you would not pay directly for – people of Hong Kong will. Are you willing to handle that responsibility?” The old professor said and Albus was deeply grateful for a bit of understanding. The decision to be made was not easy.

“I’ll try to do what I can, Mr. Scamander, but it’s too late to make any promises. We need humanity to survive.”

“By sacrificing other species?”

“It’s what they are willing to do to us, isn’t it?” It was harsh. It was cruel. But it was true. Still, Albus could see the disillusionment in Scamander’s eyes. He just realized that Dumbledore was just human. As Dumbledore left the lab, he realized that this was another reason why he needed Gellert. Usually, Gellert was the honest, brutal one. People didn’t have him in such high regard because they did not expect him to be a saint. He never wanted them too. No, he was much sneakier. He never was one of _them_. He was always a part of _us_. People listened to him because they truly believed he had their best interest in mind, that he understood them and cared for them individually. He never did, the only person Grindelwald truly cared for was himself, but he was just so good and making others believe otherwise.

Albus knew.

Albus believed him once too.

*

Getting inside of the jail was not as hard as Albus assumed it might be. Gellert was held in Tokyo, for that is where his revolt happened and has not been moved ever since. Everyone assumed it would be better if the rogue pilot remained forgotten.

A helicopter ride was all it took to get to Tokyo, a Marshall’s ID – enough to let him see the prisoner. So there Albus was. In front of Gellert’s cell, not sure what he even wanted to say.

The man inside the cell got up as Albus was let inside.

He was much thinner than Albus remembered him. His blonde hair got longer and became silver in some places. But the glint of mischief in those mismatched eyes was just as Albus remembered it.

The guard left them, clearly thinking that Gellert was incapable of harming the Marshall in any way. How ironic.

“You’re old.” He started, and Gellert laughed.

“And you’re even more miserable than the last time I saw you.”

He didn’t look mad. He didn’t even sound mad. And yet, the things he did… The things he wanted to do.

“Why did you betray us?”

“Haven’t you watched the trial? Oh, wait, you’re right, there was no trial for me. Great hero Dumbledore wanted me locked up, so here I am.”

Talking with him was so hard. It almost seemed like Gellert had the upper hand. And yet, when they drifted together… They were one. They understood each other so well, their thoughts indistinguishable from one another. How two people so different could melt into each other so well? Why the only person Albus truly wanted had to be this man, the one that embraced Albus’s dark side so completely that the light in him started to diminish?

“Answer the question.”

“Because you were cowards. It was obvious we were losing right then. As long as these beasts were being made in factories, we had no hopes of winning…”

“We could’ve closed the portal.”

“Did you? Have you managed to do that up till now? No. That’s why you are here. It took you almost ten years, but you finally see what I have seen so long ago – they need to be destroyed.”

“They are living creatures, Gellert. They are controlled, forced to attack us. Maybe we can help them. Maybe we can save them. Humanity has looked for other life forms in the sky for so long and now suddenly we find them our first reaction is to kill them all?”

Gellert fell silent at that and shot Albus a bored look. He was still sitting and Albus refused to sit next to him, afraid of memories the mere action could trigger.

“Albus. I think you forgot how to be yourself during the time I was gone. You sound like a PR drone. Is that all that’s left of you?”

“Gellert, I’m just thinking of future consequences…”

“Future consequences? Oh, Albus, I’m ready to tell you all about the consequences. We are going to die. Alive or not, these beasts are tools to more powerful beings, being that will not stop trying to conquer us just because we asked nicely. They want our planet.”

“Maybe their own is dying? Maybe they need a place to stay, maybe if we offer it to them, we can build a new world, together? Gellert we need to consider all the options, otherwise we are just killers!”

Grindelwald stopped smiling. There was something dangerous in his expression now, something Albus had not seen before.

“Don’t be a hero, Albus, it doesn’t suit you. Are you afraid to be a killer? Sorry to say, but it’s a bit too late for that. How many cities have we lost? How many millions of people? Of children, women, elderly? How many animals, since that is your concern, apparently? You are asking me to pat you on the back and tell you how wonderful person you are for having scruples, no, my dear, not today. Because what you are really saying is that you are willing to trade humanity now for a distant maybe. ‘Maybe we can live together’ – clearly, we can’t. May I remind you, they attacked us. There was no attempt to negotiate.”

Finally, Albus couldn’t take it. He simply sat down on Gellert’s cot, with the prisoner on his right, and put his back against the wall, staring into the ceiling.

“I know. I’m just trying to have a discussion with you. To see the problem from every possible angle. Like we used to.”

“So you’ve made your decision. You just need justification for it.”

Albus made a non-committal sound and then they both sat there, in silence.

Maybe it was a mistake coming here.

Then, he felt a ghost of touch on his right hand.

“I led the revolt without you because I knew how much your good reputation meant to you. You wanted to be perceived as good and righteous so much that it would kill you to join me. You probably would, you have joined me in so much mischief at our first base… But you would have regretted it. And I felt it was something that had to be done.”

“I know, Gellert. You’ve never had much trust in the World government.”

“And for a good reason.”

“It was just a bit too much for me. To simply take our Jaegers, our people and invade a world that could be so different from ours. Things we might have learned, things that we might have destroyed. The Kaiju attacks were not so frequent, then. They said you went mad, that you got blood-thirsty and simply wanted more Kaiju to kill, but I knew better. I knew that you were probably acting for the greater good. Except then, for me, greater good meant something else.”

Gellert’s hand squeezed Albus’s one. Oh, how he missed the touch.

“And yet you left me to rot in this prison, Albus.”

“I did. I was afraid of what I might see if I went to visit you. What if you actually went mad? What if I saw you and couldn’t recognize you, because your mind was gone? They said you drifted with the Kaiju.” They also said that he was never the same after that. But this Gellert, this was the one Albus knew. He looked different, he seemed more honest, but it was still Gellert.

“I did. That’s how I knew they weren’t going to play nice. They were created and improved to completely wipe us out. No one listened to me, because no one believed me that drifting with Kaiju was possible.”

Albus allowed himself to link his fingers with Gellert’s.

“Were there consequences?”

“Lots. I had problems with separating my thoughts and the Kaiju’s. I think they took the location of Tokyo base from my mind, because it is a double-edged sword after all. So the fall of Tokyo, that’s on me.”

“How do you live with it?”

Here, Albus finally dared to look at Gellert. He was calm. The man who just admitted to being the reason why Tokyo, their stronghold, was penetrated and crushed to dust, looked simply calm. So many lives lost, so many innocents, so many good pilots. They weren’t expecting the attack, they weren’t expecting Kaiju to fully comprehend how the Jaegers worked. Tokyo wasn't ready and they've paid the price. Now the beasts knew. And they clearly aimed to destroy every base. This was a turning point in the war. So why was Gellert so calm? This was the moment they started losing, how does a person live with that kind of guilt on their shoulders and still fights?

“Ten years later we are still here. I don’t feel guilt, not yet. Maybe, after the dust has settled, after everything is done, the corpses buried and bases dismantled, maybe then I will feel remorse. But right now? Right now we are still at war and guilt should not factor into your decision.”

They sat together like this for a while, in silence. Just two men who used to share everything, every single thought, now trying to reconnect, trying to _feel_ each other again.

“Will you help us?”

“Are you willing to listen to me?” There were arms around Albus now and he knew, he knew that Gellert had used affection as manipulation before, he knew that some part of him will never be alright with destroying a whole species, he knew all of that and yet he still managed a small ‘yes’. Because ultimately, that was the greater good.

“Let us go to their world, then."

"We will."

Suddenly, there were lips on his forehead, a butterfly kiss, nothing more, and yet so precious.

I’ll bear the guilt with you, Albus.”

_Thank God._

**Author's Note:**

> Is Gellert controlled by the Kaiju or not? We will never know.
> 
> Few notes: I mostly based the settings on the movies, I'm not a big fan of the comic version.  
> The pilots from Korea and China are my eastereggs, be free to figure out from which series they come from :)  
> I decided to remain in Hong Kong, because most of the cast is British and up till 1993 Hong Kong belonged to Britain so they might have some feelings connected with the place. Albus served in Canada because Britain officialy didn't have their own base and Jaegers, even though British policticians are part of the World Governement and some of the best pilots in the canon are British, i.e Pentecost.
> 
> If you are interested about the names of the Jaegers let me know, I will be happy to explain in the comments. Hope you liked it!


End file.
